Various golf professionals stress the importance of the golfer keeping his weight on the insides of the feet during the backswing of the golf club. Tom Watson writes in the January 1988 Golf Digest magazine article "Footwork Basics" that "the weight should not drift to the outsides of the feet." Jack Nicklaus teaches in his instruction book Golf My Way to "play from the insides of (the) feet and to find a stance width that permits effective body action without throwing weight to the outsides of the feet." An improper stance and lack of control over weight distribution during the back stroke of the golf swing encourages the tendency of the back foot to roll outward. This causes the golfer to lose his balance and sway. Poor balance and an awkward swing contributes to a weak drive or an innacurate drive. Keeping the foot from rolling outward during the backswing of the golf club is one element of a strong accurate golf swing.
During the downswing and impact of the golf club with the golf ball, the golfer's weight shifts forward. The golfer's forward foot properly rolls outward during the followthrough of the golf club. Sometimes the golfer's weight shifts in advance of the golf swing and impact. This also causes the golfer to lose his balance and to swing awkwardly. Keeping the golfer's weight from shifting in advance of the golf club during the power stroke is another element of a strong accurate golf swing.
Golf shoes have included cleats which grip the ground to help the golfer have a firm stance. Other shoe devices are also directed towards helping the wearer have a firm stance or increased traction. U.S. Pat. No. 2,179,942 describes an attachment for a golf shoe located adjacent the big toe joint or adjacent the instep curve of the sole of the shoe. The attachment device has an outward extension ledge portion which may be positioned between the upper portion of the shoe and the welt and attached by screws or rivets to the edge, bottom, welt, or other portion of the shoe. The device attaches to the medial side of the shoe, which for a right shoe is the left side. (The lateral side on a right shoe is the right side; for a left shoe, the lateral side is the left side.) Studs or spikes are positioned in the attachment to prevent the golfer's foot from slipping during the pivot action. Such an apparatus may be used by a right handed golfer who pivots about the inner edge of the left shoe while moving the club in the backswing. A left-handed golfer would pivot about the inner edge of the right shoe.
While the described apparatus may prevent slipping of the shoe during the pivot action, some golf professionals and other golf instructors urge that the golfer not roll his foot outward during the backswing of the golf club, but play from the insides of the foot. Also, a golfer's weight should not shift from his back foot to his front foot in advance of the golf club during the downstroke and impact of the golf club with the golf ball. Thus, use of the '942 golf shoe attachment may encourage poor golf swings by attempting to solve problems associated with pivoting on the inner edge of the golf shoe rather than contribute to the golfer practicing a proper golf stance and swing.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,769,723 describes a shoe in which the inner side expands to absorb the energy of an impact by a substantial force on the shoe. The shoe is described as reducing injury by allowing the foot to move laterally out of the shoe over the sole and heel portion. The shoe also provides additional support for the foot by including a pair of thin flat spring metal retaining members in the rear quarter of the shoe to embrace a substantial portion of the heel of the wearer. Such a shoe however would not be practical for the game of golf in which the player wants to be positioned firmly on the ground. The golfer swinging a golf club needs his feet to be stable within the shoe and the feet to cooperate with the shoe while the golfer pivots during the swing. A shoe which permits the foot to slip with respect to the shoe is not desirable for a person playing golf.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,454,662 describes an arch support for an athletic shoe. The support includes a cup-shaped heel portion with an inner side wall and an outer side wall connected by a curved rear wall extending from the sole of the shoe towards the ankle of the wearer. The inner side wall is higher than the laterally corresponding portion of the outer side wall. This differential in height increases towards the arch and toe portion of the sole. The outer wall tapers downwardly more quickly and provides no side structure adjacent the outside lateral portion of the shoe between the instep and the toes. The cup-shaped heel provides rigidity and support especially for the inner arch. Such a shoe providing arch support would be useful for games such as football or soccer. The shoe however would not contribute to restricting the tendency of the foot to roll outward during the back stroke of a golf swing. The shoe described in the '662 patent does not provide a side structure on the outside of the shoe forward of the instep.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,510,701 describes an athletic shoe which provides a rigid external cup-form counter to reduce transverse movement or axial movement of the foot in the shoe during movement of the individual wearing the shoe. The external shoe counter extends around the shoe upper in the heel portion. Eyelets defined in the molded body of the counter receive a shoelace before the lace is securely tied proximate to the juncture of the upper surface of the foot and the front surface of the leg. The force exerted by the shoelace draws the side portions of the counter forward and upward. The counter thus tightly grips the shoe about the heel to restrain transverse or axial movement of the foot within the shoe.
Such a counter apparatus is designed to restrain the heel portion of the foot within the shoe by tightening the quarter of the shoe around the heel. Golf is a game which requires a significant amount of walking, and the counter securely tied around the heel portion of the quarter may cause discomfort to the golfer as he is walking along a fairway, across a green, or tramping through the rough in search of a lost ball.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,559,724 describes a sole for a track shoe, which includes a plate which extends substantially the entire length of the shoe. A pair of lateral traction extensions are formed integral with the plate and extend from the bottom surface of the plate adjacent and upwardly of the fifth metatarsalphalanges joint. A gap separates the traction extensions. A first second and third flex groove is formed in the plate to enhance the flexibility of the plate along the grooves; the gap is aligned with the lateral end of the medial groove. The grooves reduce the thickness of the plate to approximately half that of the surrounding area of the plate. Two of the grooves are substantially parallel; one of the parallel grooves connects with the third groove on the medial side of the foot.
The present invention overcomes the deficiencies of previous golf shoes or athletic shoes by providing a structure to restrain the golfer's foot from rolling outward during a golf backswing and to provide a firm side to hit against on the downswing or power stroke. Such outward rolling of the foot may occur during the backswing causing the golfer to be improperly positioned for a strong power stroke. For a right-handed golfer taking a backswing, the golfer's weight shifts from the address position evenly distributed over both feet to being carried primarily by the right foot. The shift in weight and the backswing pivoting action tends to induce the right foot to roll outward by pivoting around the ankle. (A left-handed golfer's left foot attempts to roll outward during the backswing.) Preventing the foot from rolling outward with the golfer's weight on the inside of the right foot enables the leg muscles to stretch and extend fully. A golfer with his leg muscles fully extended when the golf club is at the top of the backswing experiences a rapid slingshot release of the muscle during the power stroke.
Such rollouts by the foot tend to disturb a golf swing by throwing the golfer off balance and positioning him awkwardly for the power swing through the golf ball. Foot rollout and body sway inhibit the leg muscles from properly extending. An out-of-balance golfer cannot swing smoothly or cleanly through the golf ball and thus the drive of the golf ball is affected.
Forward foot rollout may properly occur during the followthrough of the golf head after the power swing and impact with the golf ball. In this situation, the weight of a right-handed golfer is shifting from the right leg to the left leg while the golfer pivots from the backstroke into the power stroke. The weight shift combined with the pivot action tends to encourage the left foot to roll outward or pivot about the ankle. At the moment of golf club impact on the golf ball, a proper power swing returns the golfer's body to its original position as when he initially adressed the golf ball or to an advanced position just adjacent to that address position. During the downstroke and impact of the golf club, the golfer's weight however may shift in advance of, rather than with, the golf club travel. The present invention accordingly overcomes the deficiencies of previous golf shoes or athletic shoes by providing a structure which gives the golfer a feeling of resistance for a firm side to hit against during the golf downswing.